Reprinted from the Park Nicollet Clinic newsletter--Minneapolis, December 2010.
http://momskoshercooking.weebly.com/tribute-to-my-unique-dad-elliott-royce.html
http://momskoshercooking.weebly.com/tribute-to-my-unique-dad-elliott-royce.html
Elliott Royce is a man of many hats: real estate developer, warehouse manager, Navy seaman, myrmecologist (more on that later), philanthropist, father and grandfather. Elliott also collects hats – lots of them. Forty hats currently hang on a rack that takes up an entire wall of his St. Louis Park apartment.
The most important hat Elliott wears is a little eccentric (much like Elliott himself, in an endearing way). It’s a tall, wobbly stove top hat with bright red and white stripes that sways on his head precariously like an old brick chimney about to topple over. The hat, alighted atop his head, coordinated with an oversized bow tie that hangs beneath, might induce alarm in some, but the face that beams in between inspires smiles in children and others at Park Nicollet Clinic – St. Louis Park when Elliott passes out free drinks and treats dressed as “Dr. Seuss,” the author of the world famous children’s book “The Cat in the Hat.”
A young mother walks briskly through the skyway of the 3800 Building, heading for the parking ramp, tightly clutching her daughter’s hand. Every other part of the girl’s tiny body, however, is pulling in the opposite direction, back toward the clinic. “Cat! Cat!” she shouts, pointing toward Elliott with her free hand. “Cat!” The mother pauses, looks at Elliott and smiles & walks back to Elliott’s cart to share a cup of hot chocolate with her daughter.
*****
The official name of the metallic, four wheeled structure that Elliott pushes throughout the St. Louis Park Clinic is the “hospitality cart.” And it is, indeed, hospitable, with thermoses of coffee and hot water, pitchers of lemonade and ice water and packets of tea and hot chocolate mix. But on the days when Elliott pushes the cart, it is elevated from its utilitarian function into a mobile monument to mirth, good cheer and all things Seussical.
The side of the cart is festooned with iconography from the world of Dr. Seuss: book covers from “The Cat in the Hat” and “Green Eggs and Ham,” illustrations from the stories and, most resplendent of all, a large, plush version of the famous “Cat in the Hat” itself, bobbing up and down along the side of the cart as Elliott makes his rounds.
Elliott takes his volunteer role seriously, going to libraries to do research on Theodore Gisel (the “real” Dr. Seuss) and learn more about his prolific writing for children of all ages. “Do you know there are about 1,600 words in ‘The Cat in the Hat’ and only one of them has more than two syllables?” he asks with a grin. “What’s the word?” I ask eagerly. “Ahhh,” admonishes Elliott, “you’ll have to find that out for yourself.” Like a magician (did I say Elliott does magic tricks, too?), he doesn’t want to reveal the secrets behind his tricks.
Elliott’s back in the staff lounge now, refilling his cart -- he goes through four thermoses of coffee and water each four-hour shift -- and restocking the hot chocolate mix and mini-muffins (a special Wednesdays-only treat). Back through the door and out into the hallway, Elliott waves to clinic staff, all of whom recognize him, and emerges into the lobby where it doesn’t take him long to find his “customers.”
Even though the treats are free, Elliott passes them out to people with the same work ethic that has carried him throughout nine decades of life. “I came out of the Depression, so I know how to sell,” he says. “I don’t just pass out free samples. I demonstrate them. I make eye contact and talk with people. I engage them.”
*****
A woman emerging from the Travel Clinic spots Elliott & walks up to him. “I love your outfit!” she says with a broad smile as Elliott pours her some lemonade. “Hey, everybody,” she says, waving to her friends in the lobby. “C’mon over and say hi to Dr. Seuss!”
*****
Another man is sitting on a bench talking into a phone when he sees Elliott, smiles and raises his hand. “Coffee please” he says in a stage whisper as Elliott approaches. Elliott quietly sets the cup down beside him on the bench. The man puts his palm over the bottom of the phone for a moment and, sotto voce, says “thank you!” as Elliott heads off in another direction.
*****
Elliott was born and raised in North Minneapolis. His father owned several pharmacies during the depression “in the days before penicillin,” he says. “You didn’t just count pills and pass them out. You actually made them yourself. Those were tough days. I remember being in the pharmacy when my mother was held up at gunpoint. I was 12 years old.”
Elliott served as a seaman on convoy duty in the Navy during World War II, helping to protect U.S. ships from German U-Boats as they crossed the Atlantic. He also gave lessons in the Civilian Pilot Training program for light aircraft (another skill he picked up along his travels). After Elliott returned from the war, his family moved to St. Louis Park where he has lived for the past 60-plus years.
After dabbling in a few business interests, Elliott became a real estate developer specializing in warehouses. He oversaw the construction of nine warehouses in his long career, in addition to serving as a manager for several other warehouses. Elliott has five children: a son and two daughters in the Twin Cities, another son in New Jersey and a daughter who lives in Israel. He has ten grandchildren, but no great grandchildren yet. “Not much you can do but wait,” he says with a bemused sigh.
The most important hat Elliott wears is a little eccentric (much like Elliott himself, in an endearing way). It’s a tall, wobbly stove top hat with bright red and white stripes that sways on his head precariously like an old brick chimney about to topple over. The hat, alighted atop his head, coordinated with an oversized bow tie that hangs beneath, might induce alarm in some, but the face that beams in between inspires smiles in children and others at Park Nicollet Clinic – St. Louis Park when Elliott passes out free drinks and treats dressed as “Dr. Seuss,” the author of the world famous children’s book “The Cat in the Hat.”
A young mother walks briskly through the skyway of the 3800 Building, heading for the parking ramp, tightly clutching her daughter’s hand. Every other part of the girl’s tiny body, however, is pulling in the opposite direction, back toward the clinic. “Cat! Cat!” she shouts, pointing toward Elliott with her free hand. “Cat!” The mother pauses, looks at Elliott and smiles & walks back to Elliott’s cart to share a cup of hot chocolate with her daughter.
*****
The official name of the metallic, four wheeled structure that Elliott pushes throughout the St. Louis Park Clinic is the “hospitality cart.” And it is, indeed, hospitable, with thermoses of coffee and hot water, pitchers of lemonade and ice water and packets of tea and hot chocolate mix. But on the days when Elliott pushes the cart, it is elevated from its utilitarian function into a mobile monument to mirth, good cheer and all things Seussical.
The side of the cart is festooned with iconography from the world of Dr. Seuss: book covers from “The Cat in the Hat” and “Green Eggs and Ham,” illustrations from the stories and, most resplendent of all, a large, plush version of the famous “Cat in the Hat” itself, bobbing up and down along the side of the cart as Elliott makes his rounds.
Elliott takes his volunteer role seriously, going to libraries to do research on Theodore Gisel (the “real” Dr. Seuss) and learn more about his prolific writing for children of all ages. “Do you know there are about 1,600 words in ‘The Cat in the Hat’ and only one of them has more than two syllables?” he asks with a grin. “What’s the word?” I ask eagerly. “Ahhh,” admonishes Elliott, “you’ll have to find that out for yourself.” Like a magician (did I say Elliott does magic tricks, too?), he doesn’t want to reveal the secrets behind his tricks.
Elliott’s back in the staff lounge now, refilling his cart -- he goes through four thermoses of coffee and water each four-hour shift -- and restocking the hot chocolate mix and mini-muffins (a special Wednesdays-only treat). Back through the door and out into the hallway, Elliott waves to clinic staff, all of whom recognize him, and emerges into the lobby where it doesn’t take him long to find his “customers.”
Even though the treats are free, Elliott passes them out to people with the same work ethic that has carried him throughout nine decades of life. “I came out of the Depression, so I know how to sell,” he says. “I don’t just pass out free samples. I demonstrate them. I make eye contact and talk with people. I engage them.”
*****
A woman emerging from the Travel Clinic spots Elliott & walks up to him. “I love your outfit!” she says with a broad smile as Elliott pours her some lemonade. “Hey, everybody,” she says, waving to her friends in the lobby. “C’mon over and say hi to Dr. Seuss!”
*****
Another man is sitting on a bench talking into a phone when he sees Elliott, smiles and raises his hand. “Coffee please” he says in a stage whisper as Elliott approaches. Elliott quietly sets the cup down beside him on the bench. The man puts his palm over the bottom of the phone for a moment and, sotto voce, says “thank you!” as Elliott heads off in another direction.
*****
Elliott was born and raised in North Minneapolis. His father owned several pharmacies during the depression “in the days before penicillin,” he says. “You didn’t just count pills and pass them out. You actually made them yourself. Those were tough days. I remember being in the pharmacy when my mother was held up at gunpoint. I was 12 years old.”
Elliott served as a seaman on convoy duty in the Navy during World War II, helping to protect U.S. ships from German U-Boats as they crossed the Atlantic. He also gave lessons in the Civilian Pilot Training program for light aircraft (another skill he picked up along his travels). After Elliott returned from the war, his family moved to St. Louis Park where he has lived for the past 60-plus years.
After dabbling in a few business interests, Elliott became a real estate developer specializing in warehouses. He oversaw the construction of nine warehouses in his long career, in addition to serving as a manager for several other warehouses. Elliott has five children: a son and two daughters in the Twin Cities, another son in New Jersey and a daughter who lives in Israel. He has ten grandchildren, but no great grandchildren yet. “Not much you can do but wait,” he says with a bemused sigh.
Elliott was treated for Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma five years ago and is in currently in remission. “I’m in pretty good health,” he says. Elliott is nothing if not honest, especially about himself, which is why he says candidly that “I went through a period of depression when I was 85 years old. It lasted about two months. Fortunately, my kids spotted it right away and got me into treatment.” He wants people to know about this so others won’t keep their conditions secret and be afraid to ask for help.
“Old age has some problems that come with it,” he admits. “Twenty-four hours a day is a lot of time to fill up. But it’s a lot easier if you make a plan. It might be volunteering, studying, whatever you want, but make it your job,” he says, pointing his finger in the air for emphasis.
*****
“Elliott Royce can teach us all a great deal about getting older, or even being old … Elliott volunteers on a regular basis. He bikes to and from his home to Park Nicollet … He volunteered to sand bag during the recent fall floods.”
-– David Parker, MD, Health Research Center
*****
“We love having Elliott serve our patients here at St. Louis Park Urgent Care. He brings joy to all our patients. All Park Nicollet sites should find a Dr. Seuss of their own, but they can’t have Elliott. He’s ours!”
-- Stephanie Bell, RN, Supervisor, St. Louis Park Urgent Care
*****
Elliott has made quite an impression on Park Nicollet staff, starting at the top. CEO David Abelson shadowed Elliott one morning to learn more about his work. He also wrote about Elliott in his CEO Blog and later spoke about Elliott in his opening remarks to the 1,000-plus people who attended the Park Nicollet Foundation Celebration for Life Gala.
While talking with Elliott when he was job shadowing, Abelson discovered some other Park Nicollet connections – including a personal one. It turns out that Abelson went to college with Elliott’s daughter 40 years ago at the University of Minnesota. Elliott also told him that he used to have an office in the Stilts building about 30 years ago when he was in the real estate business, before Stilts was purchased by Park Nicollet.
One thing Abelson didn’t write about in his blog, however, was an amusing – and embarrassing – encounter that Internal Medicine scheduler Patricia Hudson had with Elliott and Abelson.
“I saw a man walking along with Elliott one morning,” she recalls. “I went right up to Elliott, put my arm around him and said to the man ‘I’m Elliott’s girlfriend.’ This guy smiles at me and says ‘Elliott has many girlfriends.’ I say ‘that’s okay, as long as I’m somewhere on the list.’ It wasn’t until later that someone told me I was talking with the CEO. Yikes! Just open mouth & insert foot!
*****
“Dear David:
“After all these years, our paths have intersected via my father…
“I wanted to say ‘thank you’ to you for giving my father one of the two best gifts you can give a 91-year-old gentleman – acknowledgment. And, of course, the second gift is good health (which is also your line of work …).
“I know that my father is a unique individual & an especially unique senior. I know that he’s got the energy of a 30-year-old with the inquisitiveness & imagination of a 5-year-old…
When he started to volunteer at Park Nicollet and then turned it into Dr. Seuss, we knew that this was something special. I understand that this has been great for both the PNC children and adults since Dr. Seuss is like ‘comfort food’ for the soul. How wonderful that both Park Nicollet and Elliott Royce are enjoying these encounters.”
Letter to David Abelson from Elliott’s daughter, Judy Petel, from her home in Jerusalem, Israel, Nov. 15, 2010
*****
Elliott lives in an apartment near the Excelsior & Grand development in St. Louis Park. He is a familiar sight in the neighborhood, riding his custom made side-by-side bicycle. Elliott recently had an electric motor installed “when the hills started getting steeper,” he says. “I had a lady friend who loved to ride with me, but she moved to another part of the country and took her legs with her, so I’m riding by myself right now. I’m looking for a new friend – preferably someone with strong hamstrings!”
At his children’s request, Elliott gave up driving at 85 – the same age that Elliott had to ask his own mother to stop driving. In his typically cheerful spirit, he says “giving up the car is not giving up on life. The minute you don’t have that car, you have to find out what you can do in your own neighborhood. It’s an opening for new experiences and adventures. Time to go out and discover where you live!”
Elliott also enjoys riding buses all over the city, especially to libraries. One particular bus excursion to a library had a major and lasting impact on Elliott. “I was at the downtown library in Minneapolis & picked up a biology book. Every chapter was exciting, especially the chapter on ants and their intricate forms of communication & social structure,” he says with wide eyes.
Elliott wanted to learn more so he did some Internet research on myrmecology, the scientific study of ants, and found one of the country’s leading experts at The Florida State University. “I sent him an e-mail saying that I’m a senior interested in ants and biology and asked if I could stop by to meet him.”
Professor Walter Tschinkel responded the same day, and a few weeks later he & Elliott were traipsing through the tropical rainforests of the Florida panhandle, pouring molten aluminum into abandoned ant colonies to make casts & study their design. (Elliott will gladly show you the DVD of his trip if you have the time, or give you a copy to take home if you don’t.)
Elliott has returned to Tallahassee several times to do field research. “Elliott is impressive because he continues to be interested in a range of subjects,” says Prof. Tschinkel. “He has never stopped enjoying learning. That of course is something that always warms the cockles of a professor's heart.”
*****
“My co-worker and I were waiting in the elevator on Monday. Waiting next to us was a very scared looking little girl clinging to the leg of her mother. When the elevator door opened, the little girl’s face lit up and she pointed. Her mother and I both looked to see what had changed her expression from fear to delight. Dr. Seuss was standing in the elevator smiling!”
~~Laura Knutson, supervisor, Reimbursement Analysis
*****
“A couple of years ago, I received an email from someone in Minnesota who wrote that he was a senior who had recently become passionately interested in ants and was looking for an opportunity to do some research on ant biology. I wrote back asking him if he intended to go to college, and suggested FSU. He answered, “No, actually, I’m 88 years old” – oh, THAT kind of senior – but for all his life had liked to learn new things. When you are 88, will you still be interested in learning?”
~~Professor Walter R. Tschinkel, 2007 Commencement Address, Florida State University at Tallahassee
*****
Elliott retired somewhere between the ages of 65 and 70. “I can’t remember exactly when,” he says, waving his hand in the air. “That’s when I started enjoying hobbies. In fact, I have the most unique hobby in the world: picking up and dropping hobbies.”
When he was 75, Elliott took up the tuba. He played for the Minneapolis Police Department Band (marching with them in the Holidazzle parade) and also volunteered to play with students at St. Louis Park junior high school. But he stopped playing tuba when he was 90. Why? “What else?” he says. “I had to make room for new hobbies.”
Among his recent hobbies
• Juggling: “Not at a high level, just enough to enjoy it and entertain others.”
• Balloon sculpture: he goes to a nearby day care center in St. Louis Park and gives them away to children and also passes them out on city buses during his trips around town.
• Bicycling -- year round. “They keep the sidewalks very clean in my neighborhood all year,” he says with appreciation.
• Knitting: “I gave that up pretty quickly. Too frustrating!”
• Magic tricks: “Nothing too complicated. Just enough to make the kids smile.”
• Musical instrument restoration: Elliott buys old instruments, pays to have them repaired and sends them to needy Israeli schoolchildren.
About a year and a half ago, Elliott walked into the Volunteer Office at Methodist Hospital and proclaimed: “I have time. I want to volunteer.” Quick to recognize an opportunity, Volunteer Services director Linda Velez signed him up.
“Elliott has a true passion for making people smile and adding a ray of sunshine to their day,” says Velez. “He has taken the task of delivering complimentary beverages to patients to an entirely new level with his hat, bowtie, books and good cheer. His positive attitude directly impacts our patients. We can all learn valuable lessons from Elliott.”
*****
“What’s new in your life?” Elliott asks a petite woman with curly gray hair waiting in the Internal Medicine lobby.
“I have a pacemaker since the last time I saw you.”
“How’s that working out?” Elliott asks.
“Great! I’m getting around again.”
“Glad to hear it,” Elliott says.
*****
Moving on to Pediatrics, Elliott wheels his cart up to a familiar face-- a woman with three small children. The young mother looks up at him and smiles. “They love to see you” she says as Elliott makes hot chocolate for the kids. “Have a good day,” she calls to Elliott as he leaves. “I’m having it!” says Elliott, smiling over his shoulder as he heads down the hallway.
*****
At 91 years old, Elliott still has a lot of wanderlust in him. In October, he traveled to Israel for a 10-day visit with his daughter, son-in-law and his grandchildren. He took the bus to the airport and back home again by himself, much to the frustration of his helpful and attentive son who was ready to chauffeur. “I’m not ready to give up my independence just yet,” he says with a grin.
When asked what he likes most about volunteering for Park Nicollet, Elliott looks up from his balloon sculpting and offers a mischievous grin. “I like bringing smiles to peoples’ faces and seeing them cheerful. I don’t have a medical degree. I just have a lifetime of experience. I can do something that doctors can’t do. I can send people home with smiles on their faces and give them a few moments free of pain.”
*****
Actual “Tweet” on November 15, 2010, from “UnplannedCookin”: “At Urgent Care, @ParkNicollet, guy dressed up as Dr Seuss pouring hot chocolate for my kids + doing magic tricks. I don’t want to leave.”
*****
“Witnessing more than smiles and chuckles, I noticed delight, wonder and appreciation reflected in faces that seconds earlier showed worry and concern. Watching Elliott offer hot chocolate, I learned the simplicity of giving. Instead of handing patients hot chocolate packets to prepare themselves, Dr. Seuss took the time and attention to open each packet, pour the hot water and stir the offering, while gazing into the eyes of each recipient. Finally, offering the finished product with open palms, the hot chocolate seemed to flow from his heart.”
–- David Abelson, CEO, Park Nicollet Health Services
*****
Elliott has reached the end of another four hour shift at Park Nicollet. He pulls the hospitality cart back through the hallways and into the staff lounge where he unloads the remainders of his day. Then he takes the elevator downstairs into the lowest reaches of the 3800 Building. He punches the security code into the automated lock at the volunteer lounge & opens the door.
*****
“Dr. Seuss” takes off his blue Park Nicollet Volunteer smock and stuffs it into his locker. Elliott logs onto the computer to sign off from his volunteer job & puts on his winter coat. “Lucky me!” he says, as he jumps on his bicycle and calls out “see you tomorrow!”
*****
“Old age has some problems that come with it,” he admits. “Twenty-four hours a day is a lot of time to fill up. But it’s a lot easier if you make a plan. It might be volunteering, studying, whatever you want, but make it your job,” he says, pointing his finger in the air for emphasis.
*****
“Elliott Royce can teach us all a great deal about getting older, or even being old … Elliott volunteers on a regular basis. He bikes to and from his home to Park Nicollet … He volunteered to sand bag during the recent fall floods.”
-– David Parker, MD, Health Research Center
*****
“We love having Elliott serve our patients here at St. Louis Park Urgent Care. He brings joy to all our patients. All Park Nicollet sites should find a Dr. Seuss of their own, but they can’t have Elliott. He’s ours!”
-- Stephanie Bell, RN, Supervisor, St. Louis Park Urgent Care
*****
Elliott has made quite an impression on Park Nicollet staff, starting at the top. CEO David Abelson shadowed Elliott one morning to learn more about his work. He also wrote about Elliott in his CEO Blog and later spoke about Elliott in his opening remarks to the 1,000-plus people who attended the Park Nicollet Foundation Celebration for Life Gala.
While talking with Elliott when he was job shadowing, Abelson discovered some other Park Nicollet connections – including a personal one. It turns out that Abelson went to college with Elliott’s daughter 40 years ago at the University of Minnesota. Elliott also told him that he used to have an office in the Stilts building about 30 years ago when he was in the real estate business, before Stilts was purchased by Park Nicollet.
One thing Abelson didn’t write about in his blog, however, was an amusing – and embarrassing – encounter that Internal Medicine scheduler Patricia Hudson had with Elliott and Abelson.
“I saw a man walking along with Elliott one morning,” she recalls. “I went right up to Elliott, put my arm around him and said to the man ‘I’m Elliott’s girlfriend.’ This guy smiles at me and says ‘Elliott has many girlfriends.’ I say ‘that’s okay, as long as I’m somewhere on the list.’ It wasn’t until later that someone told me I was talking with the CEO. Yikes! Just open mouth & insert foot!
*****
“Dear David:
“After all these years, our paths have intersected via my father…
“I wanted to say ‘thank you’ to you for giving my father one of the two best gifts you can give a 91-year-old gentleman – acknowledgment. And, of course, the second gift is good health (which is also your line of work …).
“I know that my father is a unique individual & an especially unique senior. I know that he’s got the energy of a 30-year-old with the inquisitiveness & imagination of a 5-year-old…
When he started to volunteer at Park Nicollet and then turned it into Dr. Seuss, we knew that this was something special. I understand that this has been great for both the PNC children and adults since Dr. Seuss is like ‘comfort food’ for the soul. How wonderful that both Park Nicollet and Elliott Royce are enjoying these encounters.”
Letter to David Abelson from Elliott’s daughter, Judy Petel, from her home in Jerusalem, Israel, Nov. 15, 2010
*****
Elliott lives in an apartment near the Excelsior & Grand development in St. Louis Park. He is a familiar sight in the neighborhood, riding his custom made side-by-side bicycle. Elliott recently had an electric motor installed “when the hills started getting steeper,” he says. “I had a lady friend who loved to ride with me, but she moved to another part of the country and took her legs with her, so I’m riding by myself right now. I’m looking for a new friend – preferably someone with strong hamstrings!”
At his children’s request, Elliott gave up driving at 85 – the same age that Elliott had to ask his own mother to stop driving. In his typically cheerful spirit, he says “giving up the car is not giving up on life. The minute you don’t have that car, you have to find out what you can do in your own neighborhood. It’s an opening for new experiences and adventures. Time to go out and discover where you live!”
Elliott also enjoys riding buses all over the city, especially to libraries. One particular bus excursion to a library had a major and lasting impact on Elliott. “I was at the downtown library in Minneapolis & picked up a biology book. Every chapter was exciting, especially the chapter on ants and their intricate forms of communication & social structure,” he says with wide eyes.
Elliott wanted to learn more so he did some Internet research on myrmecology, the scientific study of ants, and found one of the country’s leading experts at The Florida State University. “I sent him an e-mail saying that I’m a senior interested in ants and biology and asked if I could stop by to meet him.”
Professor Walter Tschinkel responded the same day, and a few weeks later he & Elliott were traipsing through the tropical rainforests of the Florida panhandle, pouring molten aluminum into abandoned ant colonies to make casts & study their design. (Elliott will gladly show you the DVD of his trip if you have the time, or give you a copy to take home if you don’t.)
Elliott has returned to Tallahassee several times to do field research. “Elliott is impressive because he continues to be interested in a range of subjects,” says Prof. Tschinkel. “He has never stopped enjoying learning. That of course is something that always warms the cockles of a professor's heart.”
*****
“My co-worker and I were waiting in the elevator on Monday. Waiting next to us was a very scared looking little girl clinging to the leg of her mother. When the elevator door opened, the little girl’s face lit up and she pointed. Her mother and I both looked to see what had changed her expression from fear to delight. Dr. Seuss was standing in the elevator smiling!”
~~Laura Knutson, supervisor, Reimbursement Analysis
*****
“A couple of years ago, I received an email from someone in Minnesota who wrote that he was a senior who had recently become passionately interested in ants and was looking for an opportunity to do some research on ant biology. I wrote back asking him if he intended to go to college, and suggested FSU. He answered, “No, actually, I’m 88 years old” – oh, THAT kind of senior – but for all his life had liked to learn new things. When you are 88, will you still be interested in learning?”
~~Professor Walter R. Tschinkel, 2007 Commencement Address, Florida State University at Tallahassee
*****
Elliott retired somewhere between the ages of 65 and 70. “I can’t remember exactly when,” he says, waving his hand in the air. “That’s when I started enjoying hobbies. In fact, I have the most unique hobby in the world: picking up and dropping hobbies.”
When he was 75, Elliott took up the tuba. He played for the Minneapolis Police Department Band (marching with them in the Holidazzle parade) and also volunteered to play with students at St. Louis Park junior high school. But he stopped playing tuba when he was 90. Why? “What else?” he says. “I had to make room for new hobbies.”
Among his recent hobbies
• Juggling: “Not at a high level, just enough to enjoy it and entertain others.”
• Balloon sculpture: he goes to a nearby day care center in St. Louis Park and gives them away to children and also passes them out on city buses during his trips around town.
• Bicycling -- year round. “They keep the sidewalks very clean in my neighborhood all year,” he says with appreciation.
• Knitting: “I gave that up pretty quickly. Too frustrating!”
• Magic tricks: “Nothing too complicated. Just enough to make the kids smile.”
• Musical instrument restoration: Elliott buys old instruments, pays to have them repaired and sends them to needy Israeli schoolchildren.
About a year and a half ago, Elliott walked into the Volunteer Office at Methodist Hospital and proclaimed: “I have time. I want to volunteer.” Quick to recognize an opportunity, Volunteer Services director Linda Velez signed him up.
“Elliott has a true passion for making people smile and adding a ray of sunshine to their day,” says Velez. “He has taken the task of delivering complimentary beverages to patients to an entirely new level with his hat, bowtie, books and good cheer. His positive attitude directly impacts our patients. We can all learn valuable lessons from Elliott.”
*****
“What’s new in your life?” Elliott asks a petite woman with curly gray hair waiting in the Internal Medicine lobby.
“I have a pacemaker since the last time I saw you.”
“How’s that working out?” Elliott asks.
“Great! I’m getting around again.”
“Glad to hear it,” Elliott says.
*****
Moving on to Pediatrics, Elliott wheels his cart up to a familiar face-- a woman with three small children. The young mother looks up at him and smiles. “They love to see you” she says as Elliott makes hot chocolate for the kids. “Have a good day,” she calls to Elliott as he leaves. “I’m having it!” says Elliott, smiling over his shoulder as he heads down the hallway.
*****
At 91 years old, Elliott still has a lot of wanderlust in him. In October, he traveled to Israel for a 10-day visit with his daughter, son-in-law and his grandchildren. He took the bus to the airport and back home again by himself, much to the frustration of his helpful and attentive son who was ready to chauffeur. “I’m not ready to give up my independence just yet,” he says with a grin.
When asked what he likes most about volunteering for Park Nicollet, Elliott looks up from his balloon sculpting and offers a mischievous grin. “I like bringing smiles to peoples’ faces and seeing them cheerful. I don’t have a medical degree. I just have a lifetime of experience. I can do something that doctors can’t do. I can send people home with smiles on their faces and give them a few moments free of pain.”
*****
Actual “Tweet” on November 15, 2010, from “UnplannedCookin”: “At Urgent Care, @ParkNicollet, guy dressed up as Dr Seuss pouring hot chocolate for my kids + doing magic tricks. I don’t want to leave.”
*****
“Witnessing more than smiles and chuckles, I noticed delight, wonder and appreciation reflected in faces that seconds earlier showed worry and concern. Watching Elliott offer hot chocolate, I learned the simplicity of giving. Instead of handing patients hot chocolate packets to prepare themselves, Dr. Seuss took the time and attention to open each packet, pour the hot water and stir the offering, while gazing into the eyes of each recipient. Finally, offering the finished product with open palms, the hot chocolate seemed to flow from his heart.”
–- David Abelson, CEO, Park Nicollet Health Services
*****
Elliott has reached the end of another four hour shift at Park Nicollet. He pulls the hospitality cart back through the hallways and into the staff lounge where he unloads the remainders of his day. Then he takes the elevator downstairs into the lowest reaches of the 3800 Building. He punches the security code into the automated lock at the volunteer lounge & opens the door.
*****
“Dr. Seuss” takes off his blue Park Nicollet Volunteer smock and stuffs it into his locker. Elliott logs onto the computer to sign off from his volunteer job & puts on his winter coat. “Lucky me!” he says, as he jumps on his bicycle and calls out “see you tomorrow!”
*****